Circle Forward: Building a Restorative School Community 

Circle Forward is a resource guide designed to help teachers, administrators, students and parents incorporate the practice of Circles into the everyday life of the school community.  This resource guide offers comprehensive step–by-step instructions for how to plan, facilitate and implement the Circle for a variety of purposes within the school environment.  It describes the basic process, essential elements and a step-by-step guide for how to organize, plan, and lead Circles. It also provides over one hundred specific lesson plans and ideas for the application of Circles in the following areas of school life:​

•    Learning and establishing a Circle practices
​•    Establishing and affirming community norms
•    Teaching and learning in Circle
•    Building connection and community
•    Promoting social-emotional skills
•    Facilitating important but difficult conversations
•    Working together as adults
•    Engaging parents and the wider community
•    Developing students as leaders in peer Circles
•    Using Circles for restorative discipline

To place an order for Circle Forward please, CLICK HERE

WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING ABOUT CIRCLE FORWARD

I am very grateful to Kay and Carolyn for their commitment to creating healthy communities for all young people, for their wisdom, and for their generosity. I cannot wait to share this wisdom with our schools—the teachers, administrators, students and their families, student support staff, educational assistants, volunteers, cooks, janitors, bus drivers, and school board members. This book is such a gift!
 — Nancy Riestenberg, author of Circle in the Square, School Climate Specialist,                         Minnesota Department of Education

In this time of great opportunity within our schools, Dreams are coming true … my first gaze at Circle Forward began a wave of chills … have you ever wondered how to bring more SOUL into our schools? Depth, Purpose, and Connection ... wonder no more… this book is sacred and brings us to a holy place … we are seen and heard in Peacemaking Circles … slowly we Trust … Circle Forward creates the feeling of being Home! An absolutely amazing, loving GIFT to us all … deep gratitude to Kay and Carolyn for this incredible Labor of Love.
 — Jamie Williams, The Restorative Way: Circle Training for Schools, Minneapolis,                     Minnesota

It takes skill to author a book that is both inspiring and practical. Kay and Carolyn provide a strong theoretical foundation for Circles and include extensive information about how teachers might utilize Circles in their schools and classrooms. The modules containing models for various types of Circles are extremely helpful and the appendix contains so many valuable resources. As a teacher educator looking to assist teachers as they develop both the knowledge and skills needed to effectively facilitate Circle processes, I am so excited about this book.
 — Kathy Evans, Assistant Professor of Education, Eastern Mennonite University
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As a former schoolteacher and school administrator, I see this book adding positively to literature being written on this topic. You have given our teachers practical methods for using Circles in their classrooms and for creating an Ecosystem of Care in schools. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with our educators!
— Robert Spicer, Restorative Justice Consultant and Community Activist: Restorative Strategies, Chicago, Illinois

Across a range of social institutions, people are looking for new ways forward to address growing concerns, such as bullying and alienation, within institutional cultures. Circle Forward offers a framework and process to address these concerns within schools, based on a relational paradigm nested in the human need for belonging, power, and respect. This book offers practical guidelines for building community, teaching social and emotional learning, and facilitating difficult conversations for all members of the school community—administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents. It offers clear hope for all to find a place to belong within their own school community.
— Brenda Morrison, Director of the Centre for Restorative Justice at Simon Fraser University and Professor of Criminology, Burnaby Mountain, British Columbia

This book—the most authoritative on the market today—is a must-read for those who are already in the field facilitating Circles, those who want to begin this journey, and those who are just curious. Its style of presentation and writing establishes the reverent tone of the Circle—one grounded in compassion and understanding—which leaves the reader with an uplifted spirit, knowing that change is possible when people care.
— Ann Schumacher, Ph.D., Detroit, Michigan

Heart of Hope: A guide for using peacemaking circles to develop emotional literacy, promote healing and build relationships

Authors: Carolyn Boyes-Watson and Kay Pranis
For ordering information, email: Living Justice Press

Peacemaking Circles and Urban Youth

Author: Carolyn Boyes-Watson
For ordering information, visit Living Justice Press

The CRJ Paper Series


The Center offers writings on topics related to restorative practices and principles.